SkyGym puts the Alps in your living room

For those who can't get enough of skiing (and you know who you are), this virtual simulator is just great for getting that adrenalin fix when you're not on a powder slope. It's also a great workout option for those who have no head for the real thing, like yours truly.

The German-made SkiGym is, however, just a wee bit pricey at 1,649 euros ($2,280) compared with the Wii Fit, which has a fun ski component. However, the Wii Fit is to a bunny slope what the SkiGym is to a black diamond run, with the latter offering plenty of built-in challenges and real-life ski slope settings to make it worth considering.

Developed with help from sports specialists, ski instructors, and physical therapists, the fully motorized hardware comes with bundled ski poles that can vibrate, rotate and tilt. The PC program itself features 32 ski slopes, including 18 real-life ones such as Beaver Lake and Chamonix, with a choice of difficulty levels ranging from junior to amateur and professional, and disciplines such as slaloms and super G. Best of all, toilet breaks won't be a big problem if you gotta go.

(Source: Crave Asia via Oh Gizmo)